Engagement Session fun

An engagement session is a great way to get to know a couple and for them to get to know us. What makes it more fun is having an engagement session for the whole family. This couple has two children, we encourage including them in a few photos. Of course, the whole session won’t have them but why not take a family photo. Depending on the children’s ages it might be appropriate to bring a helper to take the kids while we finish up the session. This session was at the Botanical Garden, the children were doing so well they just stayed with us the whole time. During some of the photos they even helped mom and dad laugh a bit. Then they laughed when we did some kissing photo – eww kissing! The weather has been up and down lately with a cool day and then a really warm day. We ended up at the garden on one of those warm days. This prompted us to seek shade for the majority of the session. Luckily the Botanical Garden has amazing backgrounds for photos in both the sun and the shade. There is no shortage of places to take photos so we wandered around the garden to all the best spots. The ones that were not occupied by guests of course. While we walked around we talked about all the wedding details, what the family was up to this summer and many other topics. All the chit chat made the session seem like time was flying by. Their wedding day is going to be so much fun. I know they will be relaxed while enjoying the entire experience. Not only did they make the engagement session fun for the whole family I know they are going to have a very memorable wedding day as well. #ravettaphotography #stlphotographer #engagementphotos #parkphotos #botanicalgarden #summerphotos
Rachel Ravetta   0     Engagement Photography , Ravetta Photography , stlouisphotographer , wedding photography

Birthday Club Mini Session

  Our birthday club is an amazing deal! The membership includes 16 full sessions from newborn until your child is 12 years old. Four of those sessions are during the first year and we know that can often be a lot to manage. Starting in 2023 we are offering the 4 and 8 month sessions can be mini. These are usually full birthday club sessions. Each session you are entitled to have about an hour of time. However, if you wanted to shorten that to 30 minutes we are happy to do so. However, that is only for those in between sessions. The print discounts stay the same but what happens is when you purchase the full digital download it would be less photos so you pay ½ the price. These mini birthday club sessions are perfect to keep up with the photos, as well as, not go over budget every 4 months. The newborn session and 1 year session are not offered as 30 minutes because these are those wonderful milestones to capture every moment. We had already done a 4 month session for this sweet girl, wow time flies! It was time for the 8 month session and we were ready to get outdoors. Mom said she was still working on her stability when sitting up, but honestly she did perfectly. This morning park session was a great time for her – all smiles the whole time. We were able to have her sit in all different areas while also getting some laying photos to show off all her poses. These quick sessions are a great way for us to check in with clients, see the children grow, and capture those perfect moments. There is no reason to skip these sessions with this great offer. Take full advantage of your birthday club membership. We get to see you more often and you have amazing photos of those sweet faces.   #ravettaphotography #stlphotographer #birthdayclub #parkphotos #forestpark #photographyforestpark
Rachel Ravetta   0     birthday club , Children photography , Ravetta Photography , St. Louis Photographer

My photos are the most important things we have.

Are you trying to decide if a newborn photo session is right for you? Listen to what one mom has to say about the newborn photos we did for her almost 4 year old. “The newborn photos of James is seriously one of the favorite things I own. Like I would run back into a fire for them!” Now of course we wouldn’t want that since we have them saved here at the office but it perfectly sums up how important the photos are to this family. A baby girl was recently welcomed into the family by big brother James. Getting a newborn appointment was top of the list. What about one of our birthday club packages. James is a part of the birthday club. Would that be the right fit for your family? Here’s what she has to say about that “We are for sure doing the package! It’s one of my favorite things ever!” We got a session set up right away to make sure to get all the snuggly, wrapped baby photos. The birthday club package includes an album with your selection of images from the first 4 sessions. We wouldn’t want to miss out on the sweet newborn baby photos! Mom brought a few things to include in the session that were important, a basket that grandma had as a baby-a floral wrap that she got from mom-the blanket from her nursery and various bows. It really gave us so much to work with during the session. We created similar photos to big brother but yet totally different for baby girl. James was a super big brother because he followed directions perfectly, held his sister and smiled for the camera. We are looking forward to his session coming up next month. Little baby Luella, what a relaxed baby. Mom and dad says she is generally chill but already has a bit of sass and an attitude from time to time. She only showed us the relaxed agreeable baby! We were able to move from set to set with ease. Dad was also helping each time because as he says “I just can’t sit, I like to be helping or doing something” We have known them for years with family photos, wedding photos and we even took photos of Alexa when she was little. It’s like photographing close friends since we easily chat the entire session. We are very excited that Luella is now a part of our birthday club and getting an album too because there are just so many great photos. And we will not hold it against her that she made a mess on our blanket, although dad took a photo so that might come out on her first date, haha!   #ravettaphotography #stlphotographer #birthdayclub #studiosession
Rachel Ravetta   0     birthday club , Children photography , family photography , Newborn Photographer , Ravetta Photography , St. Louis Photographer

A little snow never stops us!

Have you searched the internet recently? Of course, who hasn’t! Have you scrolled for what seems like forever and then finally click something that is exactly what you were looking to find. Alexis and Jack were doing just that when they came across our wedding photography information. Not to mention we are located very close to them making it very easy to come visit us. They are getting married in October – we are so happy to be documenting their journey to the altar. Alexis called after the big snow storm wanting to know if we would be willing to take photos in the snow. Heck yeah!!! It is always so much fun to do those unique sessions that not every client is willing to do. We decided to meet at Castlewood park since it would have the potential of paths that were not plowed and still snow covered. The scenery was beautiful, of course it was a bit slippery walking on the melting snow but totally worth it for the photos we created together. A great time of day, easily to pose couple, beautiful scenery and a heart made out of snow were all perfect additions to the photos! Alexis and Jack wanted to include their dogs in the session, these dogs just loved the snow so having them around gave the session even more unique qualities. First. the photos we took were very personal. Second, there was lots of laughter behind the scenes as their friend tried to hold both dogs who desperately wanted to be next to mom and dad. Lastly, after capturing some wonderful photos on top of the bluff Alexis and Jack basically skied back down the hill with the help of their dog team. Yes, we laughed but also had to make sure nobody fell as we descended. It was such an unusually warm day which gave us the opportunity to take our time getting the perfect images. So happy we were able to create the first memories of your journey and looking forward to next chapter – the wedding day.


#ravettaphotography #stlphotographer #engagementphotos #snowphotosession

Rachel Ravetta   0     Engagement Photography , Ravetta Photography , ravettaphotography , St. Louis Photographer , wedding photography

We love our new birthday club member – Steel

It really seems like we just saw this couple not long ago for a maternity session. The time went by so fast because now baby Steel is here! The family was not up and going right away after getting home from the hospital therefore we wanted to get them in for a session as soon as possible. We were able to get them scheduled for newborn photos with in the first two weeks. That’s always the best time to get those done because the baby will be much more relaxed during the shifts between poses. Sarah had a few poses in mind that she saw online, and brought some props with her. We are always happy to make those happen for our couples. When they arrived to see what options we had decided for the session she knew we were going to get some amazing images of her little boy. Family photos were how we started off the session just to get an idea of if Steel was going to be awake, asleep and how he would react when we positioned him. Well….those couldn’t have gone any better. Both mom and dad held him in the exact way needed to capture those perfect photos. Steel was a perfect poseable baby the whole time, Tyson even commented that it’s like molding clay. We are so happy this family is now a part of our birthday club because we get to catch up with Sarah and Tyson during each session in addition to watching Steel grow! Sarah is taking some dental boards very soon. We know that she will do great despite the lack of sleep. She is now running on mom fuel! As new birthday club members they get to enjoy all the perks and discounts that a membership comes with and we get to enjoy all the sessions with them.  Welcome to the club Steel! #ravettaphotography #stlphotographer #newbornsession #birthdayclub
Rachel Ravetta   0    

Surprise mom with a family photo

I have known Heather since high school and along with many other people as we have gotten married and had children our lives have become very busy and it seems like Facebook is the only way that we are able to keep in touch. Heather had put online that she wanted to do a family session as a gift to her mom for her 70th birthday. Of course, I responded right away and to say let me know what you have in mind so we can make it happen. She had decided an outdoor session was a great option and really could not have gotten any luckier with the weather on the day that she selected. The plan was to move the photos inside if the weather was not cooperating but outside worked perfectly.  We met at Tower Grove Park to take photos of her husband children and parents all together to celebrate the birthday. Her oldest daughter had a headache when she arrived but really powered through it for grandma and mom. Making these photos special! We were able to get all types of photos for them to cherish forever. The generations of the girls, everyone together, the grandkids, and even mom and dad alone. I was honored that I got to capture these memories for them and it gave us a little bit of time to do some catching up on what has been going on recently. Sadly with busy schedules and everyone going some many different directions, we will probably turn into some Facebook updates for a while. But hopefully the next time they need a family photo we can get together and catch up again! #ravettaphotography #stlphotographer #familyphotos #parksession
Rachel Ravetta   0     family photography , Ravetta Photography , ravettaphotography , St. Louis Photographer , stlouisphotographer

Family photos for the holidays

 Some people may not know but we do all types of photography including school portraits. This year we added another school to the many that we have been working with over the years. There was a little girl who was absent for school picture day that came into our office for a retake. Mom and dad enjoyed the very short experience they had with us. They made the decision it was time for a family portrait. Of course, they then contacted us to get on the schedule as soon as possible to take the holiday photos.

It had been a very long time since they had had a portrait taken together. Brynn was such a sweet little girl, she made the entire session a breeze smiling and posing the whole session. We were able to take some holiday photos on our yearly set, as well as, some other backgrounds. Having a plain background means the photos could be hung in the house all year.

Brynn was very inquisitive about all of the things we have in our office during the photo session. The way that the lights moved around the different background options, our prop room, and what was inside of our wrapped presents. We will give you a hint – they’re empty boxes. Originally mom had thought she just wanted a few photos but after the full session before they were getting ready to leave she was considering the option of purchasing the download to all the photos.

It is wonderful to see after a session with a great family the opinion of “only a few photos to thinking I’m going to need all of these” is just wonderful. We then discussed perhaps an outdoor session the next time that they do family photos or even just photos of Brynn. Surely, they will continue to use our services. It would be an honor to work with them again in the future.

#ravettaphotography #stlphotographer #studiosessiom #familyphotos

Rachel Ravetta   0     holiday photos , Ravetta Photography , st louis photographer , studio session

Three boys and all smiles

We started with the wedding to firstborn, to second-born, and now the third baby in the family. We are overjoyed we get to work with this wonderful family over and over. During the last newborn session, mom and dad thought their family was complete, but baby Owen really wanted to be a part of this family. Now with three boys, this mom has her hands full since they are all under the age of three. The grandmas get together and purchase a birthday club membership for each child. Which of course, we think is the absolute best gift that can be given to anybody. The gift of photographs! We were recently at their home doing one-year photos and discussed how soon the new baby would be arriving. So when they came into the office it had felt like we just saw them a few weeks ago because we did!

Oldest brother Jonah did a really great job of listening and following directions. This gave us the opportunity to get some great photos of the whole family together. Then some of the brothers together, of course, one-year-old Miles was just on the go the whole time. We think that mom and dad are going to be very pleased with all of the options that they have from this newborn session. Despite having to continually put Miles back in the photo! Baby Owen was easy to work the whole time. We finished up the session using blankets and props that were meaningful to the family. A hat that has been used on both of the other boys was also incorporated into the photos. Then a few things from his room, which is farm-themed. We know there is a lot going on when you have three children but are also very honored that we will get to watch them all grow since they are part of our birthday club. See you in a few months for the four-month session!

#ravettaphotography #stlphotographer #newbornsession #studiosession #birthdayclub

Rachel Ravetta   0     birthday club , Newborn Photographer , Ravetta Photography , st louis photographer , studio session

Kaycee and Dan

Kayce met us at a bridal show at the beginning of this year. She walked around looking at various vendors but quickly came back to our booth because she knew she wanted to work with us. Kayce and Dan had a small wedding in 2020 due to so many restrictions being in place on their wedding date. Like so many other couples they wanted to celebrate with as many friends and family as possible so they were planning another event. They wanted to have a renewal ceremony and party a year later, we were excited to be part of the event! We arrived at the hotel and the girls were having such a great morning, since the wedding party was at the first event they mentioned how excited they were to be at wedding part two. It really seemed to make everyone very relaxed the whole day. We met the boys at the reception venue prior to heading to the park to take photos. It was so interesting to see that the photos from the first date have so many fall colors but this year the leaves were late to change so lots of the photos have green trees. Sometimes I wish I knew the exact date the leaves are at peak color!  One of the best parts of the day was that the rain cleared up just in time for us to be outside taking photos. It was wonderful! We got plenty of photos so had time to stop for some Ted Drews, a St. Louis tradition! The ceremony was filled with jokes and what I would call “real vows” after having been married for a year. It was really special for Kayce and Dan to have this ceremony with everyone around them this time. The party started right after the ceremony and this group was ready to party for sure. We are glad that we were able to be a part of wedding part two and wish this couple many more years of happiness. #ravettaphotography #stlphotographer #weddingphotos #stlouiswedding
Rachel Ravetta   0     Ravetta Photography , St. Louis Photographer , wedding photography

Becky and Ryan

The wedding of Becky and Ryan started off on a beautiful fall day at a downtown hotel. We arrived to the girls who were getting ready and enjoying time together that morning. The detail shots of the dress looked wonderful with the courthouse in the background. However, the dress was clearly meant to be worn by Becky instead of on a hanger. She looked amazing and we knew that Ryan would have the biggest smile when he saw her come down the isle. But first we got in some photos with the boys at the hotel too. They were joking around from the moment they arrived, fixing Ryan – who clearly didn’t need any adjustments.

A traditional wedding ceremony helped these two start off their marriage. Afterward they did mention the two kisses they snuck before they were actually pronounced husband and wife – yep we have photo proof of it! We were able to take some family photos at the church before heading off with the wedding party. Due to limited time at the church we gathered up some family members later in the evening to do photos too. It’s always a good idea to get photos with those family members that came to celebrate.

The Urban Chestnut is a place that both Becky and Ryan enjoy going so naturally we stopped there to relax with the wedding party. We captured some great candid images of everyone that the couple are going to love. Of course, we had to get some more “posed” photos at the park however this crew was all about the fun. Ryan was picked up by the girls so then the boys felt left out and wanted to pick up Becky, that lead to lots of laughter. The group cheered as they kissed, moved in and out of photos quickly and keep the energy lively the whole time we were at the park. It was a shame we had to leave to get to the reception.

But really the reception was where the party really started. After a few touching and incriminating toast the dance floor was packed the entire night. Great to see so many people celebrating with Becky and Ryan. Thanks for allowing us to capture this moment in your journey together.

 

#ravettaphotography #stlphotogrpaher #cheektocheeks #fallwedding

Rachel Ravetta   0     Ravetta Photography , St. Louis Photographer , wedding photography